Oberth class
The Oberth class was a mid-sized Federation starship used as a scout, science vessel, and transport by Starfleet and civilian scientists alike, from the late-23rd to the late-24th century. History In service during the 2280s, the Oberth-class was designed and used almost exclusively for the study of astronomical phenomena, including data gathering missions on stars and planets. ( , ; ) .]] In 2358, the Oberth-class served as a prototype for testing advanced starship technologies. The Pegasus was outfitted with an experimental engine and new weapon systems, some of which were used in the designs for starships. In addition to this, the Pegasus was the prototype for an illegal Federation cloaking device. ( ) The Federation continued to construct Oberth-class starships, including the , at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, USSR, in 2363. ( dedication plaque) During the 2360s, these vessels served various roles in limited capacities, such as transports and supply ships. ( ) In addition to Starfleet use, they were also utilized by civilian organizations. ( ) The Oberth was present in several major Federation engagements including the Borg invasion of 2366-2367, where it participated at the Battle of Wolf 359, as well as the Battle of Sector 001 in 2373. ( ; ) The class would slowly be phased out in the 2370s, shortly after the introduction of the more advanced science vessel. ( ) Technical data The Oberth-class had an standard crew complement of approximately eighty, but was capable of operating with a minimum crew of five. ( ; ) Physical arrangement The Oberth-class design was atypical among Federation starships of the time. The outboard plan of the Oberth's design incorporated a unique split hull design, with an upper primary hull that was composed mainly of the saucer section, which was mounted onto a rear extension that mounts the impulse drive, and warp drive nacelles to either side to the saucer. The secondary hull was connected to the primary hull at the nacelles by reinforced pylons. The secondary hull itself had a oblong shape. ( , etc.) In all, the Oberth contained thirteen decks. ( ) Design features of the secondary hull included a docking port located on the port side of the hull. ( ) Tactical systems Suited more for science missions that combat missions, the Oberth was tactically inferior to most enemy vessels in encountered, including the Klingon Bird-of-Prey. ( ) The class was armed with at least one phaser bank for defense. ( ) As a science vessel, the Oberth-class was designed with specialized shields, which allow them to push through gravitational wavefronts. In conjunction with this feature, the interior bulkheads were composed of victurium alloy to better facilitate shielding. ( ) Auxiliary craft Oberth-class starships were also equipped with escape pods, having a minimum compliment of two, capable of transporting up to nine personnel. ( ) Interior design Main bridge Located on Deck 1 of the saucer section, the bridge housed the command center. In general, the design was a fairly standard Federation starship floor plan, however, due to the ship's smaller size and subsequently smaller bridge, this class vessel featured only a single turbolift. Located in the front was the viewscreen, with side-by-side navigator and helm consoles, which are in contrast positioned opposite to the arrangement found aboard starships. The captain's chair is directly aft of the aforementioned stations. At the rear of the bridge, was the turbolift-entryway. The primary stations, which were located at either side of the captain's chair included a primary science station to port (pictured, below left) with secondary stations trailing along the wall towards the back of the bridge. Along the starboard side of the bridge was the communications station (pictured, below center). ( ) The bridge layout during the 24th century included an emergency hatch set in the bulkhead, which could be used to escape from the bridge, into space, during an emergency situation. ( ) Image:USS Grissom bridge, forward port.jpg|Forward port section of the Grissom bridge. Image:USS Grissom bridge, comm station.jpg|Communications station, located on the starboard section of the Grissom bridge. Image:SS Tsiolkovsky bridge emergency hatch.jpg|With a blown emergency hatch. :The bridge of the ''Grissom was a redress of the bridge of the , altered only slightly to reflect the smaller size of the class. Among the more notable changes are the reupholstered chairs and the placement of center console.'' :The bridge of the ''Tsiokovsky was described simply as a "small bridge". The set was only a partial construction, containing a few chairs and consoles, dominated by the view of the open emergency hatch (pictured, above right).'' Corridors design.]] Because of its small size, many of the corridors doubled as auxiliary access points to various parts of the ship. Access to the computer core was also made from a corridor-like chamber that is designed with a couple of science consoles and adjacent monitors against the wall. An ODN junction was located below the science consoles. ( ) The anteroom, just outside the bridge, was located at the end of a corridor. This section contained a viewscreen-monitor and the ship's dedication plaque. ( ) Main engineering .]] Engineering was where the ship's power systems were controlled and home of the ship's antimatter warp drive chamber and impulse engine controls. ( ) Science ops Section of the ship dedicated to scientific study. It contained multiple computer consoles, a transport chamber (used for collecting extravehicular objects) and a personnel transporter pad. ( ) Accommodations Crew quarters found aboard the Oberth-class were not unlike those found aboard other Federation starships. They included a main living area, with an attached bedroom and adjacent bathroom. ( ) Image:SS Tsiolkovsky crew quarters1.jpg|View of main room from entryway Image:SS Tsiolkovsky crew quarters2.jpg|View of main room from bedroom Image:SS Tsiolkovsky bedroom.jpg|Bedroom (left) and adjacent bathroom entryway (right) Ships commissioned ;Named: * * * (NCC-638) * (NCC-602) (prototype) * (NCC-53847) * (NCC-53911) * (NAR-18834) * (NCC-19002) ;Unnamed: * [[Unnamed Oberth class starships|Unnamed Oberth-class starships]] ;Uncertain: * (NCC-59318) * (NCC-29487) Appendices Appearances * Star Trek films: ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * Background The Oberth-class model first appeared in Star Trek III as the USS Grissom. The studio model, designed by David Carson and built at ILM, measured 28" in length. The original model, labeled as the USS Pegasus, was auctioned off as part of the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection. The estimate price for the model was $4,000 to $6,000; it sold for $18,000 ($21,600 with premium). While the first model was subsequently relabeled numerous times, a second model, created by Greg Jein, was also constructed to depict the severely damaged SS Vico in the TNG Season 5 episode "Hero Worship". The "official" overall length established for the Oberth-class was 395 feet (120 meters). During the production of TNG Season 1, Andrew Probert adopted also this length. http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/excelsior/probert-sizechart.jpg Despite this, the apparent size of the Oberth-class in special effects shots has varied from range of roughly fifty percent to two hundred percent of the established overall length. Although a majority of these errors can most likely be attributed to the special effects editors, the vessel's subsequent appearances imply a class of varying ship-sizes. :For further analysis, see external links below. External links * - an in-depth article assessing the size inconsistencies of the various on-screen appearances of the Oberth-class starship * * * Category:Federation starship classes de:Oberth-Klasse es:Clase Oberth nl:Oberth klasse